For the Rockingham 11-12-year-old All-star baseball team, going to New York will be more than just a pleasure trip.

Rockingham will play in the Bronco Zone tournament starting Friday in Bergen Beach, N.Y. Rockingham will take on the host Bergen Beach All-star team in the opening game of the tourney beginning at 11 a.m.

The winner of the tournament will advance to the Bronco World Series Aug. 4-11 in Monterey, Calif.

Rockingham coach Jeff Ingram admitted he knows little about the opponent, but added that his team will not make any changes in the way it plays.

“I don’t know if they’re real good or not,” Ingram said. “For us, we’re just going to keep with our style of play. We’re going to be aggressive and do a lot of bunting and stealing on the bases. We’re hoping our approach will work out for us.”

Cody Leviner will get the start on the mound in the first game and Ingram hopes Rockingham will provide him with plenty of run support.

“I’ve had Cody for a couple years, and he’s always been steady,” Ingram said. “He doesn’t walk many batters and he doesn’t mind challenging hitters. He doesn’t strike out a lot of people, but he does do a good job of working ahead in the count. We’ve got to play solid defense behind him. Hopefully, we can get a big enough lead, so that I can take him out at some point and save his energy for later on in the tournament.”

According to Ingram, the surface at the ball park is artificial turf. The team is scheduled to practice this morning, so it can get a feel of playing on a different surface.

“Playing on artificial turf will be different for the kids, and it’s something they’ve never played on before,” Ingram said. “With us getting one day of practice in, we will get a feel on how the ball will react on that surface. When you’re playing on defense, ground balls travel faster on turf than on grass, so that will be something that we will have to be ready for.”

Rockingham defeated Pittsylvania County twice last Friday to win the Bronco Regional tournament. Rockingham won both games without Leviner on the mound, who had pitched the maximum seven innings under the Pony baseball guide lines, the day before.

“I knew without Cody it was going to be hard to do it, but it didn’t surprise me what they did,” Ingram said. “They responded to the challenge, and even though, we got a couple breaks in the last game, we found a way to win. I won’t be surprise if we find a way to pull this off this weekend because I don’t expect them to be nervous.”

Ingram plans for the team to do some sightseeing in New York, and see a New York Mets’ home game at the new Citi Field. Even though the team will enjoy its visit to the Big Apple, the focus is trying to advance to the World Series.

“There have been few all-star teams from Rockingham that have gotten to the World Series,” Ingram said. “To win this tournament and go to the World Series in California would be an outstanding accomplishment. The kids are just excited about the opportunity.”

Contact sports reporter Corey Davis at 997-3111, ext. 44; e-mail cdavis@yourdailyjournal.com